The Unexpected Turnabout
by Tina Muller
Summary: After their return from Khura'in, Phoenix and Maya continue with their lives as normal as possible. Until one evening finally brings the long-awaited change to their relationship. Minor spoilers for all games.


Disclaimer: I do not owe Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey or any aspect of the Ace Attorney series.

Rated T for hinting at a sex scene, but nothing explicit.

* * *

"I want to thank you for helping me in court", Phoenix Wright, well-known defense attorney, said as he opened the door of his flat, and entered it with his long-term assistant/partner and closest friend, Maya Fey.

The two of them had just finished a case in court together, and Maya Fey was glad that she could take advantage of her position as the Master of the Kurain Channeling technique to leave the village at will and spent at least some time with Phoenix.

Years ago, after Maya's older sister and defense attorney Mia Fey had been killed, their paths had crossed and they began to work together. During her final training years, Phoenix had not even been allowed to speak with her on the telephone and he was more than glad that this was over once and for all.

"Can you believe that it was more than ten years ago we had met?" he asked her and eyed her as she sat down on the couch. It has always been there, that mutual attraction, but after seeing her in the Khura'in, it had deepened and he could barely hold himself back around her.

Times had changed a lot…whenever he used to have these thoughts about her; he fought them down as hard as possible. After all, she was just eighteen years old then. After all, she was Mia's sister. After all, she was his closest friend. After all…yet he did not care about any of that anymore.

She had become a beautiful woman in those past years, and her new white robes fitted her perfectly. The smile on her face made his heart ache in a way it had never ached before. If only…if only she felt the same for him. "Nick?" Her voice brought him back to reality and he gulped, hoping he did not blush as he studied the way her lips moved a lot more thoroughly than what could be considered polite.

Maya was glad that he had suggested a simple meal in his flat. It wasn't as if anyone would miss her in Kurain if she returned on the next day. Telling everyone that she would now help out more regularly in court again had caused a few frowns – the tragic DL-9 accident had not been forgotten – but in the end since she and Phoenix had once more established the Kurain tradition publicly, nobody dared to object her.

And here she was now, studying her oldest friend. So much time had passed since their first meeting and what had happened during these years! It broke her heart when she heard about him losing his badge and knowing that she wasn't there to help him through that time.

Now, back in full attorney mode, he looked just as striking as ever. Of course, even he could not deny that he aged and changed a bit. His features were more pronounced now; his body a bit more muscular and she wondered how his upper-body would look without that white shirt on. That he was wearing the blue jacket open was definitely a plus, she decided.

It wasn't a new question, however, but one she had started to ask herself ages ago. Ever since he protected her in the trial regarding Grey's death, she wondered whether he could possibly mean more to hear than "just a friend". The wondering turned to definite knowing after she had been kidnapped by Matt Engarde's hired killer, Shelly De Killer.

Ever since that case had ended, she had hoped he would see her as more than a friend, but nothing ever happened. Not after the incident at the Hazakura temple, not after their time in Labyrinth city, never. It seemed that even though she was an adult now, he still seemed to be totally oblivious to her feelings for him. But she had decided that it was time to do something about that. She knew it was risky, but hoped their friendship would survive, even after he turned her down.

"Nick?" He seemed to be so lost in thought, his dark blue eyes almost unfocused, but then he finally reacted and smiled at her. "Why did he have that 'deer-in-the-headlight'-look", she wondered, but let it go. "Is everything okay?" she wanted to know and he nodded, sitting down next to her.

They were almost touching now and if it were up to him, he would finally know the taste of her lips in any second now. But what would Maya think of him if he did that? That he was a desperate man in his mid-thirties who was only taking advantage of her? Even the possibility of that thought made him shudder. "Are you really okay? You look…pale", she murmured and carefully, she lifted one hand up and touched his face. "Your hands are shaking", he whispered and her blue eyes met his dark blue ones.

"Nick…" she murmured and a second later, she was in his arms. Her hands were around his neck, her face buried at his neck and he wrapped his arms around her torso, holding her close. It was not nearly enough for either of them, but both were too afraid to take the next step.

"I have almost forgotten how good it feels to hug you", she whispered, barely audible but it was enough for his heart to accelerate. "I just…wish I could hold you like that more often", Phoenix replied and heard her content sigh. Maybe…could she…? But a second later, she moved back slightly and he cursed himself for this thought.

Hugging Nick felt great, but it was not what she truly wanted right now. She had to say it now, or she would lose all courage again. Slowly, she moved back the tiniest bit, so she could look him in the eyes once more. There seemed to be a hint of sadness, something that had not been there mere moments earlier. He looked so unlike his usual self right now, so…lost…that she couldn't help it. Without thinking about it, she leaned forward and placed her lips on his.

The kiss did not last long, she wasn't sure if that even counted as a kiss, but when she leaned back, he cupped her face. "Maya", he just said before kissing her. This time it was definitely a kiss, her lips moving in sync with his own and when she finally opened her mouth, allowing him to deepen the kiss, he was more contend than ever. When they finally had to stop, catching their breaths, he just hoped he had not overstepped any border.

But Maya smiled at him, a smile that made her look younger than she actually was, and a smile that melted his heart. "I've dreamt about that for a very long time", she admitted and blushed. And it had felt better than in all of her dreams, tasting Nick, breathing in his scent, feeling him so close to her. "A very long time?" he asked, his voice slightly shaking. How much, he wondered, how much time could he have possibly wasted?

"Yes. Sometime between Maximillion Galactica and Matt Engarde, I suppose." He gulped and ran a hand through his hair, waiting for her to start laughing and saying something like "Ha. Got you there" or "You wish!" but nothing came. His mind was blank, all these years? She finally grinned at him, and did laugh, but her words were different than he had imagined. "Well, what did you imagine? Do you honestly think there has ever been anyone else for me?"

Of course it was risky to say that, it gave her the feeling of pushing him, maybe pushing him towards something he did not really want, but the slight blush and the almost goofy grin on his face soothed that worries as quickly as they had come up. "That much?" he managed to choke out and she shook her head, smiling. "I mean, it wouldn't have been seduction of a minor or something", she teased and he ran a hand through his hair again, trying to sort his thoughts.

"Why have you never said anything?" he wanted to know as he traced her face, her neck and one arm all the way down to her hand, which he took in his. "You were Phoenix Wright…and I was Maya Fey. Honestly, you would have probably laughed and thought I was making fun of you." Really? Had he been that good at hiding his innermost thoughts?

"After the Hazakura Temple, all I wanted to do was pulling you in my arms and never letting you go again. That night at the clinic, after I've finished reading Mia's notes, I fell asleep. I dreamt about you, Maya", he admitted, hoping she would not laugh now. But her face was serious and her blue eyes seemed to look through his, straight into his soul. She motioned for him to continue and he took a deep breath, he had tried so hard to forget that dream, especially during his dark years without a badge.

"We were in court and we had just won a case. And then, Edgeworth came over to us, not annoyed that he had lost, but glad that we had found out the truth and he said 'Well, I suppose, the victory goes to Wright & Wright Law Offices.' And I was confused and then I looked down, noticing the ring on my finger and then the ring on _yours_ and…" he trailed off, looking at the woman in front of him who smiled at him again.

"And I wanted that so much, Maya. I wanted you to be mine, but I was too afraid to admit that. I kept dreaming about it, though, wondering what you would be doing, if you were missing me, if…" he rambled now and she silenced him with a kiss. "I have always thought of you, Nick." Her voice was so soft and the only thing he could think was 'It is really happening'. "And if you want me, Nick, you can have me."

She said that not with the adoration of a teenage girl but with the burning desire of a grown-up woman and when he opened his mouth to reply, the words failed him. "Let's get this conversation to the bedroom", she suggested with a wink, but before he could pick her up and carry her there, he needed to make sure that _she_ was one-hundred percent sure about that.

"I don't want you to regret this, Maya. I don't think I could stand that…you telling me that you want someone else…after this." He wished he were better with words, not that awkward, but it was too late for that. "I will never do that, Nick. If that would break your heart, be sure that it would break my own heart as well. I have known you for eleven years and wanted you more than anything for ten of them."

But she was not saying it and suddenly, he knew why. There was a part of her still afraid of his rejection, a part of her that still wondered whether she was truly the one for him. Yet she was, is and always would be - and he would tell her. He almost tasted the unfamiliar words on his tongue before saying them, savouring them. "Maya, I love you." It felt so right telling her that, after all the time they had already wasted.

"I love _you_ , Nick", she replied and he pulled her up from the couch, against him and pressed his lips on hers again. He was grateful for the fact that his bedroom door was open and it only took them a few steps to get there.

They were just lying there, holding each other close and listened to their hearts and breaths finally slowing down again. Maya traced circles on the skin of his chest while he leaned down to kiss her from time to time. "What are you thinking about?" Maya finally wanted to know. "You will probably laugh…Wright & Wright Law Offices. But I suppose we'll just have to live with adding your name to the ever growing list of the Wright Anything Agency."

Was he suggesting…? "Nick, is that what I think it is?" Phoenix shrugged, trying to be nonchalant about it and failing miserably. "Well, as you pointed out before, there will never be another one for you and since I feel the same way…and we have kind of not used ten years already…we might as well skip the dating part and the presumed awkwardness of it and make it official."

For a moment, she did not know how to react but then she smiled. "Nick, yes." Suddenly, her face looked subdued, though. "You do know it won't be easy, with me being the Master…" He shook his head. "I don't care. We will find a way to make all of it work, we always do, Maya." And then he was the one looking unhappy. "I don't have a ring for you. We definitely have to buy one!"

The woman smiled and placed a finger on his lips. "Hold it", she murmured, "we are not going anywhere tonight." Her use of his in-court catchphrase made him somewhat dizzy. "I don't think I want to leave this bed for the next hours, Maya. And even if we leave it, I want you all to myself at least for the night."

Had someone asked him that morning what he thought the evening would look like, he would have likely shrugged and replied "maybe eating something with Maya" or "relaxing at home alone", but not this. Not that he would finally have a chance at a life with her - maybe in his dreams, but for real?

Maya was thinking along the same lines. She only wondered what took her so long. But one look at Nick – how contend and peaceful he was – was enough to make her feel the same way, too, forgetting the 'what-if'. It was ironic in a way, how Pearly always pictured them together and later managed to convince Trucy, too, that her adopted father and the spirit medium were meant to be.

For some time, neither of them said anything, but in the end, a low growl from Maya's stomach disturbed the comfortable silence. "What do you want to eat?" Phoenix asked before he suggested the one thing she would never be able to resist. "Burgers?" Oh. Maya sighed, imagining the only thing that could possibly make the evening even better than it already was. "I don't think you have some burgers here, though, do you?" She was unwilling to get up and dress again.

"Ha. That's what delivery services are there for, Maya." "You always have the best ideas", she replied while he just stretched his arm out to grab the tablet computer on his bedside table. A few clicks later, the burgers were on their way. "This will take some time…so…as you told me mere seconds ago, I always have the best ideas. And I have a very good idea about how we can spend the time waiting for the bur-", Phoenix began, but Maya cut his speech short, knowing exactly what he was talking about and decided to simply silence him with a kiss. After all, no matter how much she loved burgers, she definitely did not want to be interrupted by the person delivering them. And of course, there is no time like the present.


End file.
